Adam, who was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, wishes to explore Iceland.

13-year-old Adam lives in Oxfordshire with his mum, dad, and sister. Before his diagnosis, he loved being active and playing sports with friends.

When he went to the doctor with leg pain in November 2017, he never imagined it would be anything serious and thought it was probably just a football injury. After a number of tests, Adam was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer that mainly affects young people.

Months of treatment

Adam’s mum, Sam says:

"An MRI scan revealed that Adam had a tumour in his leg and further tests showed that the cancer had already started spreading to his lungs. We were all in shock. All of a sudden our lives had turned upside down and we had no idea what would happen next.

"Adam started treatment in January 2018 and over the next 9 months he had fourteen cycles of chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy and surgery.

"Shortly after the first round of chemotherapy, Adam’s leg broke suddenly one morning as he was getting dressed. He spent the next few weeks in hospital, unable to move, whilst continuing with his chemotherapy.

"The side effects from the treatment were so horrible. It’s awful having to watch your child go through so much pain and sickness, just hoping that the treatment is working.

"Adam eventually had surgery to repair his leg in August 2018 and thankfully finished his cancer treatment a month later."

Your whole perspective changes

"It’s been tough on the whole family. One parent always needed to be with Adam when he was in hospital and he is was unable to get dressed or have a bath without help. It’s been difficult to make plans or to do normal things as a family as you never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next.

"Even after finishing treatment, Adam still needed help with daily tasks and he will need regular scans and tests for the next five years to make sure the cancer does not return. We are always on alert for any sign of pain. When your child has had cancer, your whole perspective changes, you can’t shrug it off and say ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine’’.

"Adam has suffered from the drastic changes his body has undergone and still needs lots of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to help him to walk again. With lots of hard work, we’re hoping he will regain his strength in time for his wish in March 2019."

Something to aim for

"I’d always known about Make-A-Wish. Then someone at hospital suggested we apply for Adam. He loves to learn about new places and would like to be an explorer when he’s older so I wasn’t surprised when Adam said that his One True Wish would be to visit Iceland. His sister recently completed a project on Iceland at school and both she and Adam were fascinated by the volcanic landscapes, the way of life and the interesting food."

Unbelievable

"When Adam found out his wish could be granted he was really excited. He didn’t believe it at first. For the past year, we haven’t made plans because we have never known when Adam would need to go into hospital, so it’s unbelievable to think that we will be going to go to Iceland in a few months’ time.

"During his treatment, Adam was unable to go swimming as he had a line in his chest, so he is especially looking forward to having the opportunity to swim in the Blue Lagoon and has always wanted to see the Northern Lights.

"We are so incredibly thankful to Make-A-Wish for granting Adam’s One True Wish. Adam needs this trip to look forward to as he’s been through so much in the past year. He feels like he’s not better because he’s still unable to join in with sports and activities with his friends, but he never feels sorry for himself.

"He is such an inspiration and I’m just so proud of how he’s handled everything. He’s given strength to others and has touched a lot of people’s hearts. We know that this trip to Iceland will help him to regain his adventurous spirit and to remember that the world is still his oyster."

We’re going above and beyond to grant Adam’s One True Wish, because his life shouldn’t be about illness, hospitals and medication – it should be about adventure, wonder and joy.

We can’t make Adam’s wish a reality without the generosity of people like you so please sponsor his wish and help him on his journey to recovery.

Sponsored donations made towards a child’s wish will go towards their One True Wish. If a child’s wish receives over funding the additional donations will be put towards a similar wish. If a child's wish doesn't reach 100% funding their wish will still take place and general funds will be used.

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